Rongo ā Puku

The interconnectivity between the puku (gut) and roro (brain), Dr Sally Rye, Iwi Taketake presentation 2024. 

Much of my rangahau is centered around the gut – brain axis.  The bioengineering and way that these organs connect, interact and whakawhiti kōrero is fascinating.  What else is super interesting is how the condition and functioning of the gut and brain is directly dependant on the health and well-being of the gut microbiome and our thought patterns, vibrations and rhythms.    There is lots of information available on these topics- however what is unique about my rangahau is that I have framed the latest science to align directly to Indigenous knowledge systems and natural ways of doing, being and seeing.  For example – Dr Rose Pere spoke about He Tangata, He Atua and this notion of duality that we are beautifully divine and wonderfully human. The vagal nervous system which carries kōrero from the gut to the brain is responsible for the effective functioning and performance of our organs. My rangahau personifies the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems commonly known as fight or flight and rest and digest automatic responses, with the characteristics of Tūmatauenga (fight or flight) and Rongo-mā-Tāne (rest and digest).  We can regulate these two responses through karakia and leaning into atua such as Tawhirimatea to embrace the ora of hau and shift from puku riri to mauri tau, or Tāne Mahuta to access kai as rongoā.  We also have the ability to tap into the celestial realm through the practice of haere puku-fasting.  This mātauranga is embedded in our pūrākau, moteatea, waiata and kōrero tawhito left by our ancestors as tools to navigate different energies and conditions we experience each day.

I just want to say here that insights do not change behaviours, hormones do. And what my rangahau found is that the optimal production of hormones is directly related to a balanced lifestyle.  I present these links under three key themes, kai sovereignty (how we access and source our kai), kai science (how we consume and interact with kai) and kāinga (tikanga, traditions and practices surrounding kai).  My studies have further found that Indigenous systems of well-being can cause real and pivotal effects on Indigenous well-being trajectories.  My dissertation ‘Rongo ā Puku’ presents arguments, frameworks and tools that have been applied in my mahi(work).  They have proven to be highly effective in terms of restoring whānau back to natural states of being. 

My mahi further demonstrates and speaks to how whānau thrive in collective approaches to well-being and achieve more sustainable results in communities. I have done a lot of rangahau in this area. There is a list  which has been endorsed by major players in the health industry, health gurus and specialists.  The factors on the list have proven to foster optimal functioning of the gut and brain.  Everything on that list was practiced naturally and seamlessly within traditional pa construct. 

The world has changed since then, more rapidly so in the past 50 years. Toxicity is out the roof!  It is in our soil, our food, our waterways, in the air, in our clothes, literally everywhere…. What is more whānau are becoming more and more out of sync with our circadian rhythms.   Many people are not getting enough sleep or natural light between sunrise to sunset.  Devices are getting in the way of natural connections and interactions between people, place and space.  Obesogenic environments, conflicting information, the cost of kai, and access to kai are further interfering with whānau capability and capacity to make informed choices.

The key reminder that my mahi attempts to share is that “the world has changed however our biology remains the same.  What this suggests is what was good for our well-being when we lived in traditional constructs is still applicable today”.  We have the blueprint from the lifestyle patterns of our tūpuna… we don’t have look far to find the solutions to address the alarming health issues and life restricting conditions many Indigenous People are experiencing.

If we look back, we know that our ancestors did not begin the day with the blue light from their devices, their eyes opened to the natural red light that adorned the sky at day dawn as they leaned into the rising of the sun and received the blessings of Tamanuiterā.  Throughout the day they moved naturally and purposefully under the healing reach o-te-rā getting dosed with vitamin D and regulating melatonin levels. 

Our tūpuna ate diverse, seasonal, predominately plant based and fermented kai, all essential for gut health.  The gut is where most hormones are produced including 95% serotonin a major influencer of mood and sleep.  Hakaari began with the breaking of the soil, planting seeds, tending to the growth and harvesting kai straight from the ground to the table – no pesticides or chemicals attached. Hakaari was about sharing more than kai, it was a time to share aroha(love), manaaki(support), kōrero(conversations), waiata(songs), pūrakau(stories), kanikani(dance) and kata kata(laughter) pumping up our oxytocin levels.  And dopamine was not found on social media it was stimulated by social interaction and the practice of whanaungatanga across generations. 

Cortisol was managed through feasting and fasting.  When your tinana is fasting - it reaches a tapu state and switches into a fat burning state. your biology reaches a higher consciousness, and your body responds by becoming more alert and focused, handy back in the day when you were hunting for kai. Tribal members had purpose even when wāhine stopped releasing high levels of estragon, they transitioned from producing babies to assuming child birthing duties and providing wise counsel to the tribal members. 

My 82-year-old māmā is proof that is never too late to break cycles of unwellness and return to kia maori – natural states of being through the revitalisation of traditional knowledge, practices and understandings related to kai.    I am confident through my rangahau that whānau have the capability to articulate Indigenous solutions for well-being and to exercise ‘rangatiratanga’.  I talk about this a lot in my dissertation and my hope is that the Rongo ā Puku body of work inspires and guides whānau with life restricting conditions to gain or regain autonomy over their well-being.

Toi Matarua under the leadership of Kairangahau, Dr Sally Rye is supporting the following three research projects.